Alice and the others stood on guard, not letting their eyes off of the dwarves for a second as they stared them down for a few seconds. In an instant, the tension in the air was broken when one of the soldiers threw his spear at Noelle, striking her directly in the chest. Noelle gasped as she felt the cold metal, which was enhanced by Enfold, pierce her skin, her aura weakening in response to the surprise attack.

The other soldiers rushed forward, armed with spears and longswords. They all attacked simultaneously, swinging their weapons at the girls, aiming for their bodies and faces. The girls were quick to react and dodge, ducking and weaving through the attacks, but the dwarves were persistent, constantly swinging their weapons and closing in on them. Sharline and Blair were able to avoid most attacks, but Alice and Zalgo didn't fare so well, both of them getting stabbed and cut from some of the attackers.

“Ack…” Alice wheezed. She winced in pain, but she tried to hide it with her trademark neutral facial expression, not wanting to let her weakness show.

Sharline also whimpered, holding her side as she stumbled back from another one of the attackers, who caught her by surprise in-between her kicks.

With another successful blow, a dwarven soldier managed to break Rachel's aura, leaving her body vulnerable.

“This place is gonna be the end of us!” Blair said, looking around desperately, trying to find a way out of the situation.

“C’mon now, get on with it! We’re more than happy to continue ta show y'all how superior dwarven steel cuts through Ephemeral flesh!” one of the soldiers said playfully, his smile showing his contempt for the girls.

“And just what makes dwarves so superior, hmm? Do you really think you can take us on?” Rachel replied, a hint of anger in her voice as she tried to pull herself free.

“‘Heh, cause we've got superior steel that can cut through your bodies like butter,” one of the dwarves teased.

“Plus our physical strength is like nothing you've ever seen!” shouted another, swinging his ax at Rachel, who managed to dodge just in time.

“I'll show you physical strength,” Sharline said with a threatening glare before dashing in at a blinding speed, her feet cracking the ground beneath her into imprints of her soles. Before any of the dwarves knew it, her right foot crashed into the one who swung his ax at Rachel. Not only did the dwarf's aura break, but he was sent flying through several walls.

“That’s more like it,” Sharline muttered, her hands clenched into fists as she glared at the remaining soldiers. Despite her aura weakening, she was still strong enough to easily take down the dwarves.

“She’s pretty strong…” one of the soldiers said nervously, staring at Sharline with wary eyes.

“Yeah, she really packed a punch,” another soldier replied, his gaze shifting back and forth between the girls and his fellow comrades.

“You mean, she really packed a kick,” the soldier beside him joked.

“There ain't no time for puns! We might be in trouble here.”

The dwarves seemed visibly uneasy, as if they were afraid of their opponents. Despite their bravado and cocky attitudes, they couldn’t help but feel uneasy as they saw their companions getting taken down left and right.

“Now-now, we ain't afraid of a few random broads, are we?” one of the soldiers quipped, forcing a cocky smile.

“Yeah, let's get ‘em!” a soldier said before lunging at Sharline with his ax.

Sharline kicked straight up, sending the dwarf straight through the ceiling and off into the sky.

The dwarves looked at each other, a look of pure shock and fear spreading across their faces as Sharline sent their comrade flying through the sky like a ragdoll. The remaining soldiers all backed away slightly, eyeing Sharline warily. Seeing one of their fellow dwarves get sent flying into the sky like a projectile was a shock to them, and they could feel their nerves twitching as the uncertainty settled in.

“What the?!" one of the soldiers shouted.

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“Holy hell, that…that was incredible! She just kicked him into orbit!” another soldier shouted.

“Well, that’s one less thing to worry about,” another one of the soldiers shrugged.

Despite their fear, they refused to be intimidated for long, and soon they started to advance again, wielding their weapons as they stepped forward, moving in on the girls.

“This bitch thinks she can scare us with her fancy kicking?” another asked with a sneer.

“Pfft, they ain’t got nothing on us. We’ll show ‘em what real soldiers are made of, starting with the barefoot bitch!”

The soldiers all continued to step towards Sharline as a collective this time, their confidence slowly starting to return as they grew closer and closer. With a newfound sense of confidence, the dwarves began to swing their weapons at Sharline, aiming for her vulnerable areas. Sharline dodged the attacks, ducking and weaving through the swings with ease, her agility and speed allowing her to stay out of their reach as she danced around them with elegance. Despite their attempts at striking her, they couldn’t land a single hit. Sharline seemed unaffected by their attacks, dodging them with such ease that it seemed like she was toying with them.

Seeing Sharline dodge their attacks with such grace and poise made them huff and puff while swinging their weapons with even more ferocity. They attempted to swing at her again and again, but nothing seemed to work.

“Damn it, she’s too quick!”

“For fuck's sake, we got a dancer here or somethin'?!”

“We can’t hit her! She’s just too fast!”

“We must do something! Go all out, boys!”

The dwarves kept swinging their weapons in a blind frenzy, trying to hit Sharline, but their attacks all came up short.

Okay, it's time for me to start dwindling their numbers… Sharline thought as her eyes narrowed. She stood on guard for two dwarves coming at her with their weapons drawn. The first one swung his sword at her, but she ducked and swept his legs, sending him to the floor flat on his back before sending him flying with a quick punt. The second one swung down with his ax, and Sharline stepped aside, the ax being stuck in the floor. Sharline then kicked him right in his face, killing him in an instant.

“Damn… Don't act so high and mighty, girl! We'll show you who's really strong here!” a soldier with a spear hissed, throwing the weapon at Sharline. Sharline evaded the attack, jumping back to avoid its sharp tip, and then she spun around and landed a hard kick into the soldier's stomach, sending him flying into a wall.

The soldier behind him roared, rushing forward and swinging his heavy ax at Sharline.

Sharline dodged the attack once again, but the soldier continued to chase after her. Sharline jumped back and flipped over the soldier's head, landing behind him as she kicked him in the spine, sending him crashing to the ground.

Sharline stepped forward, her gaze locked onto the spear in the next soldier's hands. Her body was tense and ready to strike. The soldier with the spear lunged forward and swung his spear at Sharline, but she dodged the attack and swung her foot back, kicking him in the chest, sending the spear flying out of his hands.

Upon seeing the next soldier approaching, Sharline took advantage of the opportunity and charged right at him. She swung her leg up and kicked him in his knee, breaking it in half like a twig, sending him to the floor. She hopped onto his back, standing on his back with both feet and focused on keeping her balance.

“Get the fuck offa me, ya damn dancer!” the soldier cried out. The dwarf tried to shake Sharline off, but she held on tight, her feet staying firmly planted and secure on his back.

“Damnit, I said get offa me!” the soldier cried as he continued to thrash around, trying to get Sharline to lose her balance so he could get her off his back.

“No chance, little guy…” Sharline said with a smile, her feet staying firmly planted on his back. The soldier continued to try and shake her off, but to no avail. After a while, the soldier stopped moving and thrashing around. He was stuck in a desperate situation, and he hated every second of it.

The soldier looked up at Sharline, fear in his eyes as he realized the danger he was in. He knew he was at the mercy of Sharline, who had been kicking everyone's ass with ease.

“Shit, dun’ kill me,” the soldier pleaded as Sharline looked down at him, her grin getting bigger as she raised her foot up high into the air.

“Haha, we don't want to kill anyone… We just need to know where a Void Exorcist is around here.”

The soldier looked up at Sharline with curiosity after hearing her request. He could tell that she could easily kill him with that foot of hers, but he was relieved to know that she just needed information instead.

“S-so that's all ye want? Ye just wanna know where a Void Exorcist is?”

“Correct.” Sharline confirmed, a subtle grin on her face. “We don't wish to cause any trouble, but we need to find a Void Exorcist in order to save the Heart Tree from this Void Curse.”

"An’ ye ain't gonna kill me once I tell ya? No funny business?" the soldier asked, looking up at Sharline.

“If we wanted to kill you, wouldn't have we done it by now?” Sharline replied, her tone casual and playful. “Don't worry, your survival is guaranteed if you just tell us where a Void Exorcist is.”

The soldier's fear turned into relief, and he believed that Sharline wasn't going to kill him after all. He sighed and gave in to her demands after she gave him those reassurances.

“Fine, fine, I'll tell ye where a Void Exorcist is. Jus’ please, for the love of the goddesses, get yer feet off me back...”

Sharline chuckled and jumped off of the soldier's back, landing gracefully on the ground before him.

“Good choice. If you hadn't given me the information I needed, you might have accidentally died.”

“Y-yes, y-you’re right, miss.” The soldier said, rubbing the back of his head with his hand.

“Good boy.”

“So where's the Void Exorcist?” Noelle asked the soldier, stepping up to him.

“The Void Exorcists are in the northern part of this place, inside the large castle over there,” he said, pointing his finger to a large castle in the distance, its appearance ominous and intimidating. It was surrounded by multiple walls that rose a thousand feet into the air, guarding it from the outside world.

“So much for the Void Exorcists being gone…” Rachel quipped.

“Rachel, not now, please,” Noelle said before turning back to the soldier. “Ah, the largest castle, then. Of course. I suspected as much. Thank you for your help.”

“No prob’, miss,” The soldier replied, bowing his head in respect before stepping back and heading off to check on his fellow dwarves.

Noelle watched the soldier leave, her eyes fixated on the castle that was now in the distance. Now that she had the information she needed, she had some place to head to.

“Okay everyone, let's go to the castle.” Noelle ordered.

With their objective clear, the girls started making their way towards the castle, the castle walls drawing nearer with each step they took towards it.

Everyone was now at the castle, which appeared even more ominous as they got closer. Its cold walls stood like silent sentinels, guarding it from unwelcome intruders. The castle itself was a testament to the power of its inhabitants, with its imposing presence looming over the surrounding area. The girls didn't seem to be intimidated by the castle's aura, however. In fact, they only seemed to be more determined to find a Void Exorcist within its walls. They stepped forward, the walls looming even higher as they made their way to the castle gates.

The castle gates stood before them; tall, rigid, and made of heavy metal reinforced with magic. They appeared unbreakable, like a powerful barrier that had stood for centuries. Noelle, leading the girls, looked up at the gates with a mixture of determination and nervousness, knowing that they stood between her and her goals.

Noelle took a deep breath and looked up at the gates, steeling herself for the challenge that lay ahead of her and her dear Ephemerals. "Here goes nothing…”